The VCU College of Engineering’s faculty continues to expand. The college’s 12 new faculty have added expertise in a wide range of fields that include cybersecurity, pharmaceutical engineering, biomedical engineering, and alternative energy. A number of VCU Engineering’s current faculty members have also received academic promotions.
“It is with great pride that the College of Engineering welcomes these exceptional new faculty to our academic family,” said Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D., the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. dean of the College of Engineering and professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. “Our students will have the opportunity to study with professors who are doing cutting-edge research in fields that address the challenges of our century. Go Rams!”
Meet the new faculty members joining the VCU College of Engineering this fall:
Irfan Ahmed, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science
Education: Ph.D. in computer science from Ajou University, South Korea; postdoctoral research at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, and the University of New Orleans.
Research Interests: Digital forensics; industrial control system security; malware; virtualization security; cybersecurity education
Abu Zayed Badruddoza, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering
Education: Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the National University of Singapore
Research Interests: Pharmaceutical engineering; soft matter; colloids; emulsions; environmental remediation
Jennifer Jordan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Pauley Heart Center
Education: Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; post-doctoral research at the Wake Forest School of Medicine
Research Interests: Translational and clinical cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques in cardio-oncology and heart failure
Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Education: Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the Pennsylvania State University; postdoctoral research at the New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Center Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Laboratory in Albany, NY.
Research Interests: Neural signal processing and analysis for the development of brain-computer interfaces and neuroprosthetic devices
Changqing Luo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science
Education: Ph.D. in computer engineering from Case Western Reserve University
Research Interests: Security and privacy; big data; complex networks
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
Education: Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia
Research Interests: Rotordynamics; turbomachinery; magnetic levitation; dynamic systems and controls; alternative energy
Ashraf Tantawy, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Education: Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Vanderbilt University
Research Interests: Cyber-physical systems, including model-based design and verification; CPS security; wireless sensor networks
Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Education: Ph.D. in medical imaging from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center; postdoctoral research at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Research Interests: Development and clinical translation of quantitative medical imaging techniques
Zachary Whitten, M.S.
Instructor
Department of Computer Science
Education: M.S. in computer science from Christopher Newport University
Research Interests: Internet radio and software development
John S. Wilson, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Pauley Heart Center
Education: M.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern; Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Yale University; postdoctoral research at Emory University Hospital
Research Interests: Cardiovascular mechanics and imaging, aortic aneurysms and dissections, vascular growth and remodeling
Professor
Department of Computer Science
Education: Ph.D. in theoretical biology and mathematical physics from the State University of New York at Buffalo; postdoctoral research at the University of Southern California
Research Interests: High-performance computing; computer simulation; mathematical modeling in biomedicine; network analysis
Assistant Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Education: Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Old Dominion University
Research Interests: Wireless communications and networking; cyber security; internet of things; wireless energy harvesting systems
The following faculty members have received academic promotions:
Charles Cartin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
James G. Miller
Professor of the Practice
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
Ümit Özgür, Ph.D.
Professor with Tenure
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
John E. Speich, Ph.D.
Professor with Tenure
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
Zhifang Wang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor with Tenure
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Weijun Xiao, Ph.D.
Associate Professor with Tenure
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
The following faculty members have been awarded tenure at their current ranks:
Sherif Abdulwahed, Ph.D.
Professor with Tenure
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
James Ferri, Ph.D.
Professor with Tenure
Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering
Namer Tadeem, Ph.D.
Associate Professor with Tenure
Department of Computer Science
Cang Ye, Ph.D.
Professor with Tenure
Department of Computer Science